Staff Writer
The Caribou boys’ tennis team has thus far continued the winning tradition from the 2007 season posting four wins and no losses on the courts. The ’07 Vikings ended the regular season with zero losses and the number-one standing in Eastern Maine Class B rankings. After losing to Mount Desert Island in the Eastern Maine Championships in a tiebreak third set, the ’08 team hopes for a rematch with their rivals with a different outcome.
Staff photo/Meridith PatersonShane Belanger returns a volley at the net during his singles match against Presque Isle last Wednesday.
According to head coach John Habeeb, the Vikings already have their sights set on the champs. “They are definitely the team to beat this year as reigning champions,” said Habeeb. “Our team needs to practice hard and long to equal MDI’s success. We can’t take anything for granted, and MDI is the toughest opponent for us out there based on scores with common opponents.”
Habeeb’s experienced starting lineup continues to step up to the challenge.
First single for the Vikings is senior Franz Zehentner, an exchange student from Austria. Habeeb believes he could make a top-seed in state singles competition. Second in singles is junior Shane Belanger who had top ranking in the region last year. Belanger’s diligence and speed in training makes him difficult to beat. Number three in singles is senior Casey Lancaster who has gone undefeated since his sophomore year on the team.
The first doubles team is senior Spencer McElwain and junior Taylor Jepson. Jepson adds skilled net and baseline play to the pair while McElwain boasts an eye for any weakness in his competitors. The second doubles team is senior Keegan Wakana and junior Tim Langlais. According to Habeeb, Langlais has one of the strongest serves on the team and Wakana adds his smart-play to the pair.
The ’08 Viking substitutes are sophomore Nick Willey and freshmen Ezra Duplissie-Cyr and Phil Smith. The team is managed by freshman Matt Cote.
